Statutory rape is the term, basically confined to the US, for sex between an adult and a person below the age of consent, that is considered illegal. There has been for a long time a widespread double standard applied to this offense of female offenders being treated more leniently than men.

Some of use propose to right this by treating women as harshly as men are for sex with an underage partner, which is to say, as a moderately severe felony.

Others, though, would argue that that is merely imitating the other side and the punishment is far too harsh, if it should even be punished at all. This belief would justify ignoring most cases of prohibited sexual relationships and dealing with those that force themselves to the attention of the justice system fairly lightly.